A third of the Syrian patients wounded in the country's civil war and being treated in Israeli hospitals have been found to be carrying large amounts of dangerous pathogens that are rare in Israel and resistant to antibiotics, Israel Hayom has learned from senior medical officials and internal reports on the subject.

The bacteria, called carbapenem-resistant enterobacteriaceae, can pass from patient to patient and be carried by hospital staff, and result in serious infections that are especially dangerous to older patients and those with weakened immune systems. One-third of patients infected by these bacteria fall seriously ill and some die. (cont.)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Remember the polio scare this past summer? Israel's Ministry of Health went around vaccinating children with live polio virus. Well, traces of polio are still being detected in the Negev. And, just where

Well, I'm not usually one to point the finger, but...

From The World Health Organization
November, 2008

Sure, this is from 2008. But, unfortunately, the only change which needs to be made is that Israel must now be added to the list of countries reporting the presence of the polio virus, imported from,...gee, let me guess.

And, now, we are importing a strain of antibiotic-resistant bacteria into Israel, so that we can continue our desperate, and fruitless, attempts to convince the "international community" that we are "OK" and that they should like us, if not love us?

Aren't the rockets and missiles pointed at us from Hamas in the south, Hezbollah and Syria in the north, and Iran in the east, enough? Do we really have to add to the threats on our lives and survival?

A joint Foreign Ministry and Homefront Command advance team left for the Philippines on Sunday night as part of Israel's effort to offer disaster relief in the wake of Typhoon Haiyan.
The Category 5 super-storm ravaged six central Philippine islands over the weekend, displacing more than 600,000 people and leaving 10,000 people dead -- a figure authorities believe will grow as rescue operations continue. (cont.)

MACTAN, Philippines -- I've always been fascinated by how well the Israeli Defense Force, otherwise known as the IDF, delivers emergency response medical care in extremely poor conditions. My first experience with the IDF was in Haiti after the devastation of the earthquake there. They were remarkable then, triaging and treating patients in the midst of the devastation...

...I asked the IDF Surgeon General in charge why they chose Bogo. He said it was because they were poor and their needs were great. As I left, I walked away in awe of this group of doctors: physician humanitarians, and medicine at its very best.

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
The question is why did we go?

Unfortunately, Israelis have also become experts in matching body parts to one another, due to the Torah's strict burial requirements. Zak"a has traveled around the world (India) bringing this service abroad.

No one says anything when wealthy Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia do not participate. No one says anything when wealthy Arab countries such as Saudi Arabia deals harshly with their illegal immigrants, while Israel gets called racist for not allowing even more illegals within its borders.

Is it wrong to help other countries? Neighboring countries such as Turkey and Greece, and even Europe, you make an argument for Derech HaShalom,...maybe,...barely.

Psalms 1151 Not unto us, O LORD, not unto us, but unto Thy name give glory, for Thy mercy, and for Thy truth's sake. 2 Wherefore should the nations say: 'Where is now their God?' 3 But our God is in the heavens; whatsoever pleased Him He hath done. 4 Their idols are silver and gold, the work of the hands of men. 5 They have mouths, but they do not speak; they have eyes, but they do not see; 6 They have ears, but they hear not; noses have they, but they smell not; 7 They have hands, but they handle not; they have feet, but they do not walk; neither speak they with their throat.8 Those who make them shall be like unto them; every one who trust in them. 9 O Israel, trust in the LORD! He is their help and their shield!

Helping [Voo-Doo] Haiti? Helping The[Catholic]Philippines? Oh, "they" will want to tell you what a Qedushath HaShem it its to help foreign peoples,...who also happen to worship avodah zarah. I cannot say for certain that these people have suffered as punishment for their avodah zarah, or for bringing it to Israel, and leading Jews astray with it. I am most certainly not on that kind of level. The Ramba"m, on the other hand, just might be.

It maybe by mere chance that a ship goes down with all her contents,...or a roof goes down on all those within; but it is not due to chance, according to our view, that in the one instance the men went into the ship, or remained in the house in the other instance: it is due to the will of God, and is in accordance with the justice of His judgments, the method of which our mind is incapable of understanding.Ramba"m, The Guide to the Perplexed, 111:17

Ramba"m: The Laws of Avodah Zarah and Statutes of the Goyim10:3 [2] From here you learn that it is forbidden to heal practicioners of foreign worship, even for pay; and if there is fear of them, or fear of hostility--one heals them for pay, but for free, it is forbidden....

Are we that afraid of an attack, if we don't help them? We, here in Israel, are at risk of an attack every second which passes. The fact that Jews reside in Israel, puts us at risk for such an attack, already. So, I cannot buy that. As far as the inyan of "Derech HaShalom" is concerned, can you spell C-O-D-E-P-E-N-D-E-N-C-E?

Harming Ourselves by Helping Others
When there are homeless and hungry people in our own country (not to mention those getting beaten up by other foreigners), then we need to take another very close look at this.

Ramba"m: Laws of Gifts for the Poor7:10 [11] One who gives tzedaqah more than is appropriate for him, or which causes himself harm, and gives to the collector in order that he would not be embarrassed--it is forbidden to require of him or to collect tzedaqah from him. and the collector who shames him and does ask of him [tzedaqah], will be dealt with in the future, as it is said, "...and I will punish all that oppress them" (Jer. 30:20)

I recently got an e-mail from an excellent, charitable organization, requesting donations for blankets for IDF soldiers. I pray that they will be successful. But, this just begs the question,...

"Why is it that the IDF not able to supply its soldiers with enough blankets, yet it is able to take a massive mission to the Philipines?

And what of the votes by the Philippines on various UN resolutions these past few weeks?

Oh, many of you will that one has nothing to do with the other, that the IDF should bend over backwards for Esau who wants to steal our souls and take our land, AND for Yishma'el who wants to kill us and take our land.

Payback?
Does Israel feel an obligation to help The Philippines, as payback for the cheap labor they provide?

Here in Israel, we are so dependent on foreign labor, particularly from the Philippines, that the Israel's Postal Service provides deals for money transfer outside of Israel, and information in Tagalog, the primary language of Philippinos.

The Post Office also serves as distribution points for Philippinos very own avodah zarah magazine, Manila Tel Aviv. They even have their own Philippina in Israel beauty pageant, for which I refuse to post a photo, for obvious reasons.

But, none of this really matters, except to add fuel to our co-dependent, nebachy fire. Why are we doing this? For the same old reasons, since before getting expelled from Spain 521 years ago: habitual assimilation, and seeking of validation and acceptance from an external source, the goyim (non-Jews).

Tuesday, November 26, 2013

I must say that the interviewer did a pretty good job, in spite of his quite noticeable need for improvement with proper intonation while speaking English. He asks very pointed, and yet simple, straightforward questions, about the disagreement between President Obama and Prime Minister Netanyahu, about the threat to Israel regardless of any "deal," based on Iran's rhetoric, and the silence of the U. S. government on this matter.

The following graphic pretty much summarizes the so-called "deal" with Iran.

Ambassador Shapiro answered all of these questions in typical, diplomatic fashion, representing his people's elected government to perfection.

Ambassador Shapiro is wrong about a few things. President Obama does not give a damn about Israel, or the Jewish People.

He was also wrong to quote Samantha Power, of all people, the U. S. Ambassador to the United Nations, to support his position. However, like Iran, Power also seems to want Israel's destruction, only with a slightly different outcome. Her vision would put Esau in control of the region; Iran's vision would put Yishma'el in control of the region.

Here is a video of Power, in which she broaches the issue of an invasion of Israel.

1:37 "Major human rights abuses?" Hmmm... I guess that Samantha
Powers means this term to apply only to Arabs. Jewish babies are just
collateral damage resulting from "Palestinian freedom fighting?"

1:50 "Requires external intervention?" Who the hell is she? For that matter, who the hell is the U. S. to decide upon "external intervention?"

2:34 Comparing Israel to Rwanda? When on earth does Powers get
information? Or maybe, she has already made up her mind, and sees, hears
and believes what she wants to see, hear, and believe.

2:40 "Lesser evils?" And apparently, Powers gets to decide what those are.

2:44 "Human stakes?" Arabs who want to annihilate Jews, and not
only wipe Israel off of the map, but erase from the history books are
the only humans at stake.
For good sakes! When are my fellow Jews going to wake!

Power doesn't make a terribly good reference to support Ambassador Shapiro's position, does she?

Meanwhile, it looks as if Arabs may save our proverbial tuchuses, yet again, as the Saudi Prince says they will not sit idly by. Let's just pray, that while Yishma'el does the job of defeating itself, that it does not make too much of a mess, including radioactively.

Regardless of this deal or that deal with the enemy (They are all bad for Israel.), I would like to know which is Ambassador Shapiro's people, the position of whose elected government he defended so well?

Anytime Israel has a Jewish Ambassador from the U. S., it reminds me of a famous interchange between U. S. Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and then Prime Minister Golda Meir.

Kissinger said that he was Secretary of State first, an American next, and a Jew after that. Meir replied that here in Israel, we read from right to left.

I wonder how Dan Shapiro identifies himself. Maybe he believes that he is doing a service to his Land and People by serving as U. S. Ambassador, working within the system, or helping to make "deals," which are supposedly stepping stones to more "deals." But which is his land, and which are his People?

To me he's just another "American" guy (Read: "degree of assimilation"), who routes for his local football team. Unfortunately, he is on the wrong side, even when the U. S. appears to agree with Israel.

One of the greatest challenges the Jewish People must meet today include the complete acceptance that our homes in galuth (exile) are temporary, that we are part of one People, and no other, and that our only

Galuth is a punishment. And, I see that part of this punishment is its effect on our mentality, distancing ourselves even further from each other, and from where we belong. Galuth has caused us to forget this.

Whether you, or Dan Shapiro, believes this to be a fantastic deal with Iran, or a really crappy one, it is irrelevant.

The more important questions are...

1. Why is there a Jewish ambassador, representing the U. S. to Israel?

2. What are Jewish organizations and "rabbis" in the U. S. doing to educate our children that they belong to one people, one people alone, and how we can re-unify?

3. What are Jewish organizations and "rabbis" in the U. S. doing to get Jews out of Iran?

There are many more questions for you to ask yourselves, and your local "Jewish Leaders."

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Here's the latest round-up of Jewish and Israeli blog posts. If you would like to submit a post, you may do so through our on-line submission form, hosted by Blog Carnival. If you would like to host, please join our Facebook Group.

A 78-year-old Jewish woman was punched in the face by a group of teenagers while walking in the Midwood section of Brooklyn this weekend, becoming the eighth victim of the so-called knockout attacks that have been occurring in New York City over the past few weeks. (cont.)

And now, it appears to be spreading from New York to Washington, DC, and elsewhere...

WASHINGTON (CBSDC) – A terrifying new ‘game’ that’s already caused deaths in Syracuse, St. Louis and New Jersey is sweeping the nation, and it preys upon unsuspecting people walking the streets, anywhere. (cont.)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
The first suggestion I heard to combat this phenomenon was to call out the Jewish Defense League [JDL].

Nope. It's aliyah time. The JDL has had its day, and did it job well, when it was needed. Now, all that is needed is aliyah. All efforts need to be focused on Israel. The U. S. was only our temporary home, and it has long since lost even that status.

Hello?!

As unrealistic it may sound, we simply do not have time to deprogram each other of the 2,000 years of galuth (exile). Jews were exiled from our only true homeland. We have become too comfortable in galuth, just like countless B'nei Yisra'el in Egypt. And, just like those in Egypt, as many as 80 percent, never left, and either died or disappeared, Jews still in the U. S. and elsewhere are at risk of the same fate.

Soon enough, "they" will be crying that this is all a conspiracy to gain sympathy for the Jews, and is just a part of the Zionist agenda of racism.

Then, from the other end, "Jewish Leaders" will be telling everyone to keep calm, engage in dialogue, and tell African Americans how much we love them.

Same ol', co-dependent strategy, re-invented a bazilliion times, and still never works.

"Rabbis" will also be telling you to not to panic, to remain calm, that it is not every Jew's role to pick up and leave for Israel, and not to feel any guilt whatsoever, if you are one of those who "feel" that Israel is not for you. (After all, how will they continue to make their fabulous, American salaries, if everyone leaves their "congregations?")

Furthermore, "they" will be crying that this is a phenomenon affecting Americans cross the board. That may be true, as has been reported in Philadelphia. But, so what?

Maybe this is just another set-up by the powers that be, to convince Americans that they need to be protected (while they take away their privately owned means of protection...their firearms). But, again, so what?

Anyway you slice it, the U. S. is not a healthy place for Jews, neither physically nor spiritually. But, since you are all so deeply entrenched in galuth, physically and spiritually, you cannot or do not want to listen to anything which threatens your hashqafah (pre-existing perspective).

So, unfortunately, you are have to get proverbially kicked in the pants.

May The Almighty have mercy on you, and on all of us, and may you wake up soon, and realize that your place is with your people in your Land.

Several leaders of the American Jewish community, tired of seeing their rabbis and congregants shunted to the sidelines when it comes to life in the Jewish state, had their day in the Knesset on Tuesday and bent the ears of several sympathetic parliamentarians.

“At the Wall, at the wedding canopy, at funerals – we are not equal citizens here,” said Rabbi Richard Jacobs, president of the Union for Reform Judaism.

Jacobs, in town for the General Assembly, an annual Jewish mega-parley held in Israel only twice in a decade, warned Knesset members that this issue was driving many Diaspora Jews further away from Israel, despite the fact that the recent Pew Study showed that seven out of 10 consider themselves “very attached” or “somewhat attached” to this country.

“We are the largest Jewish movement in North America. With the retirement of Senator Joe Lieberman, every Jewish member of Senate and Congress is either a Reform or Conservative Jew. But Israel is the only democracy in the world which discriminates against the streams of Judaism which represent the majority of Jews in the world, and certainly in America.”

He pointed to the arrest of Women of the Wall members and the fact that Reform and Conservative rabbis can no longer perform a wedding without breaking the law, thanks to new legislation passed by the Knesset two weeks ago.

“When we see this, there is disbelief among American Jews and among Americans overall,” he said.

“We can practice in freedom anywhere in the world but here in our beloved Jewish homeland,” said Jacobs. Israel is doing damage to its own public image, he suggested, by continuing to allow Reform and Conservative Judaism to be treated as illegitimate.

“Ultra-Orthodox Judaism is a legitimate choice,” Jacobs said, “but it must no longer be the default position of the Jewish state – that does neither Israel nor Judaism a service.”

The various issues that emanate from ultra-Orthodox hegemony over religious matters in Israel have for years simmered on the back burner, but now appear to be hitting a boiling point in American-Israeli relations, a fact that was demonstrated by the way they seemed to dominate the GA’s agenda more than ever before.

The release of the Pew study in October added an even greater sense of urgency about how to deal with the shifting America Jewish landscape and high intermarriage rates. But the critical juncture that many leaders in the American Jewish community see themselves at today did not seem to be enough to lure any of the approximately 15 Orthodox rabbis, including representatives of the Chief Rabbinate, who were invited to the caucus, the second such session this year.

Will Chelsea Clinton’s child be considered Jewish?

Rabbi David Stav

Only David Stav, recently a contender for chief Ashkenazi rabbi and considered a moderate within the Orthodox world, accepted the invitation to attend.

Stav is the chairman of Tzohar, a group of religious-Zionist rabbis who have worked to provide solutions for Israelis who find it difficult or objectionable to get married by the rabbinate.

His solution differed greatly from Jacobs’: fix it and fine tune it, but don’t overthrow it.

“The rationale of the law is that I need to be concerned about the continuity of the Jewish existence in Israel, and so this system needs to continue,” Stav says.“I have to worry about how I can ensure that the majority in Israel remains connected to Judaism.”

Stav gave the example of Chelsea Clinton, daughter of Bill and Hillary Clinton, having been married to a Jewish man, Marc Mezvinsky, in 2010.

The ceremony was performed on Shabbat by a Reform rabbi – two strikes in the Orthodox rulebook because weddings are not performed on the Sabbath.

“You want me to recognize afterwards that her daughter is Jewish? Or how can you expect me to recognize this person as a rabbi in Israel and trust that when he does a marriage, it’s marriage of two Jews?”

After his comments, Michael Siegal, who chairs the board of trustees of the Jewish Federations of North America, responded that he would be willing to accept Chelsea Clinton’s child as a Jew, underlining a yawning chasm between Reform and Orthodox Judaism. The Reform movement decided to accept patrilineal descent, while traditional halakha (Jewish law) demands that the mother be Jewish for the child to be Jewish, or that the child undergo an accepted conversion.

Siegal went on to the tell the story of a niece who came to Israel but couldn’t get her marriage to her Israeli husband recognized because they had eloped.

And just how many of their "congregants" are even Jewish these days? They have their own sham "conversions" and support of intermarriage for that. They have got some nerve throwing the yolk of responsibility of their own anti-Torah (ie. anti-Jewish) policies onto Israel and its Rabbanuth.

Actually, though, any [real] Jews from their communities can come to Israel, and not be "shunted to the sidelines," even if they are not interested in learning anything in the least bit connected to their heritage. They will welcomed in batei k'nesseth (synagogues), into homes, and at meal tables. But, they will not be lied to, and told that what they had experienced in the U. S. as Judaism, really is anything connected to be Jewish.

And, as far as these "leaders of the American Jewish community" go, they may be, because they are followed, by American Jews. But, they are most certainly not leaders within the Jewish world, as they are not leading anyone anywhere even close to what is Jewish.

The Reform Movement of un-Judaism's version of being "shunted to the sidelines," means, quite simply, not being allowed to lead Jews down the path of complete assimilation into Western "progressive" culture, they way they would like.

The caption of the photo accompanying this article (which I refuse to post here) reads: "Reform Jewish women doing a practice run for a bat mitzvah."

Now, what does that tell you? That their version of religious ceremony is some kind of show, which requires "practice runs" in order to get it just right?

That's what Judaism is to them on the surface. One big show, with fancy, politically-correct speeches, filled with what assimilated Jews in the West want to hear, instead of what the need to hear: The truth. Underneath the surface, it is much more nefarious. The Reform Movement of un-Judaism keeps the masses, at least some of whom really are Jewish, comfortably numbed out in galuth (exile), and thus leading them farther and farther away from the truth.

“We can practice in freedom anywhere in the world but here in our beloved Jewish homeland,” said Jacobs.

Judaism is not about freedom to do whatever the hell you want. We are here on earth to do what The Almighty wants, and that is not always what we want. We are not here on this earth to do what we want, and worse, to delude ourselves and others into believing that it is what The Almighty wants.

Furthermore I question just how "beloved" and how much of a "homeland" the Reform are taught to view Israel, and just how Jewish they are taught it should be.

Israel is doing damage to its own public image, he suggested, by continuing to allow Reform and Conservative Judaism to be treated as illegitimate.

Well,...that is because they are illegitimate. Denying, playing with, or otherwise slicing and dicing up the Torah, particularly Torah sheb'al Peh (Oral Torah), in order to come up with those comfortably numbing, Western-assimilationist notions to fill the masses heads makes them illegitimate.

The Reform Movement was founded to help German Jews feel more comfortable living Germany. We all should not have to think twice to what German Jews feeling more comfortable living in Germany contributed. And what was the Reform Movement doing while Jews were being led to the death camps? Lobbying against U. S. intervention. 'Nuff said.

The filtering process continues. Many of those "Jews" Jacobs mentioned are either unwilling or unable or to meet the challenge of clawing their way out of a non-Jewish country and culture, and discovering where they truly belong, both physically and spiritually.

However, many of those "Jews," are not really Jews at all. Who will be left? Will you?

They are upset with the process employed by the Rabbanut for investigating the Jewishness of the marrying couple. "When they drafted us to the army they did not ask us to prove our Jewishness, they collect our taxes without caring if we are Jewish or not. Why in preparation for the most fortunate day of our lives do we need to go through 7 layers of hell?"

The proposed solution is to teach the Rabbanut a lesson in customer service and customer retention. From today we will no longer wed in the Rabbanut! (cont.)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Guess what.

We should be asked regarding our status as a Jew, in ALL of these situations!

However, our illustrious government calls that racist, and it goes against its "Law of Return." When you think about it, the "Law of Return" covers more goyim than Jews.

In 2001, way back when Ariel Sharon was first elected prime minister, Rabbi MK Benny Elon(Moledeth-National Union) proposed changing the "Law of Return" in the PM's Cabinet, like he had promised to do during his election campaign. The proposal was shot down, and never heard of ever again.

And, by the way, how is it that a friend of mine, already married in the Rabbinuth, and to an Israeli citizen, no less, had to jump through hoops for the Ministry of Interior to prove his Jewishness in order to make aliyah?

Could it be that he wears a black kippah, and lived in B'nei Braq, and that the secular supervisor at the Ministry who hated Haredim had something to do with his requirement to jump through frivolous hoops?

The answer to this question is a definite, "Yes."

Even having protexia from someone high up in the Interior Minister's office did not help. It is the civil servants, with powerful unions, who run things in Israel, not those elected by the people.

Until the Erev Rav (with and without kippoth) gets filtered out, which may mean first going through an even darker period as they amass even power, before dissolving,the Rabbinuth will probably stick around as a necessary evil.keeping us withing halakhic standards regarding kashruth, marriage and burial, albeit only barely, as their powers continue to be chipped away.

Members of organizations, like the one behind this operation, will demand that their "marriages" be accepted by the Interior Ministry. While at the same time refuse to allow acceptance of a religious man's marriage to a second wife. Rather such a man will be persecuted, indicted and convicted for violating the State's marriage laws. Yet, when his second wife, not considered truly married under the State's, far-left backed, hypocritical laws, would not be allowed to claim benefits as a single parent once she gives birth.

The name of the "secular organization" behind this protest action is Yisra'el Hofshith - A Free Israel. These people have no interest in seeking out what is authentically Jewish. They probably just want to do what they want, and do not know any better than the progressive Western assimilationist mentality stuffed down their throats by the Ashkenazi elite, and its media machine.

Worse yet, the true forces behind organizations like these are more nefarious than you know, using these poor, ignorant, assimilated individuals, many of them probably even Jews, as pawns in their battle against all things authentically Jewish, in their war on the Torah.

A yeshiva bochur who has bad health conditions went to Rav Chaim Kanievsky asking for a bracha.

Rav Kanievsky told him that if he would take his peyos out from behind his ears and keep them in front, he would be healed.

This yeshiva bochur later went to Rav Shteinman and asked the same - a bracha for his health, and mentioned that Rav Kanievsky had told him to wear his peyos out front, though he said he is embarrassed to do so.

Rav Shteinman said he should not be embarrassed but should wear his peyos out front, as instructed by Rav Chaim Kanievsky, the "Minister of Torah", and he will have good health because of it.

Rav Chaim's opinion seems to be known that peyos should be worn in front of the ears, and people should not be embarrassed by their Jewish appearance. (cont.)

(source: Kikar and Bechadrei - though Bechadrei relates the story slightly differently)

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
I have heard that their are Qabbalistic reasons for putting payos behind the ears, not allowing the hair of the head to touch the spiritual hair of the beard. This has never made sense to me, since most hassidim keep their payos upfront, apparently without such fear, and they most certainly take Qabbalah under serious consideration with regards to custom.

I have also heard some say that they put behind their payos behind their ears, simply because they can get in the way.

As you know, I am not the biggest fan of segulos. So, when these highly respected rabbis suggest that arranging ones payos* (or simanim** to the Yemenites) will have a positive influence on ones physical health, I am skeptical.

Payos in front of the ear, or in back of the ear,
that is the question.

Mental health is another story. And as such, I believe that there is definitely something in what these gedolim say.

"Rav Shteinman said he should not be embarrassed but should wear his peyos out front, as instructed by Rav Chaim Kanievsky...."
We are Jews, living in Eretz Yisra'el, the [only true] Jewish Homeland. In which other lands are the people embarrassed to wear traditional clothing and hairstyles? I cannot think of any.

Only in Israel, where the influence of about 2,000 years of galuth (exile) still prevails, do we seem to have this problem,...or rather, problems.

a. I wonder how this is reflected in the differences in marital relationships between those communities which are predominantly "in front of" and those which are "in back of." Feminism has clearly snuck in through the backdoor of many Litvish and Modern Orthodox communities, particular the English-speaking ones. It is nor longer pashut as to who "wears the pants" in the family,...in some cases, literally so.
b. Perhaps this is also reflected in miqwah/mikveh behavior. However, I cannot be sure. Most, but not all, of the "in front of"'s follow the custom of not covering oneself in the miqwah, showing that we are not embarrassed by our brith milah of Avraham Avinu. Do the "in back of"'s tend to be those uptight ones in the miqwah? Like I said, I cannot be sure.

2. Collective co-dependence, reflected in how we view ourselves through the eyes of the goyim, and seek their validation, rather than producing it internally.

How we dress and style or cover our hair, are only two of the symptoms of these psychological conditions.

There are more.

I will conclude this somewhat serious piece with a not so serious conclusion.

I once witnessed a hassidishe friend of mine from Me'ah She'arim criticizing his grandson for arranging his payos behind his ear...

If you keep them that way, they will end up looking like question marks.

Sure, I know that his reaction was the response of American parents to their children making unattractive faces at others: "If you do that enough, your face will stay that way."

Nevertheless, we can learn something from this. Hassidim are often accused of living galuth (exile) mode. Yet, wearing their payos in front of their ears, clearly runs against the grains of fear of the goyim and desires to assimilate amongst them.

As Jews, if we have questions, we should ask them, rather than keep them buried inside to fester, only manifesting themselves through a permanent imprint in our hairstyles.

Prominent rabbonim shlita in the dati leumi community recently spoken out against new policies in the IDF, primarily, the changing tide towards accommodating females in the military at the expense of religious soldiers and officers. Rabbi Chaim Druckman, who played a pivotal role in establishing today’s military guidelines regarding religious soldiers, is among the more vocal rabbonim, concerned the IDF is rapidly becoming an environment that is incompatible for religious soldiers and officers. For the dati leumi community this would spell disaster as military service is not viewed as a responsibility, but a privilege, at the core of the dati leumi hashkafa.

If Chief of Personnel Branch Major-General Orna Barvibai continues as planned, some prominent religiously right-wing dati leumi rabbonim may instruct their talmidim not to serve while the more liberal dati leumi community will find a way to make it work. This will result in the IDF losing some of its finest combat soldiers and officers as well as causing a major split in the dati leumi community.

The recent liberal dress code for females during phys-ed is one of the red lines along with increased integration of the genders.

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
I appreciate YWN reporting on this, but what they do not realize is that a split in the so called Religious Zionist (datti leumi) movement or "camp" has existed already for quite some time now.

There are the Mamlakhtim, the undying State loyalists like MK Elazar Stern, who had previously served in Gen. Barvibai's current position, and is known for engineering the demise of the Hesdar Yeshivah programs. Barvibai seems to have been handed the baton, to continue the de-Judaising of the Israeli Defense Forces [IDF], apparently taking up the gender-bending, feminist agenda. Mamlakhti rabbis include Shlomo Aviner, Tzvi Tau, Yuval Cherlow, Eli Sedan, and, none other than Chaim Druckman.

Then, there are there are those who are neither blind nor in deep denial regarding the flaws in the Israeli government, and the increasing number of stiroth (conflicts) between its laws and Torah law. Rabbis in this camp are considered to include Dov Lior, the late Avraham Shapiraztz"l, and the late Ya'aqov Yosefztz"l, among others.

I was pleasantly surprised to read Rabbi Druckmans' concerns here. So, perhaps YWN was correct in pointing out this "split," after all.

We'll see just how far Rabbi Druckman can be pushed.

No doubt this "rift" will be used against those who follow Torah over Israeli, which is often its antithesis. Perhaps this will be a positive thing, bringing the Torah Zionists and the Haredim closer together,...as it should be.

Sunday, November 17, 2013

Wife of jailed Israeli agent responds to President's remark that Obama has responded favorably to all Israeli requests.

Israeli agent Jonathan Pollard’s wife, Esther, wrote President Shimon Peres over the weekend, complaining about a statement he made on Thursday that she said broke her heart.

Speaking at the Ben-Gurion Prize Awards in Tel Aviv, Peres praised the administration in Washington, saying: “There is no Israeli request that President [Barack] Obama has not responded to [favorably].”

Peres formally requested that Obama commute Pollard’s life sentence in April 2012, ahead of a June ceremony in Washington in which Obama gave Peres the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Obama has not responded formally to the request.

President Obama

Thursday marks the 28th anniversary of Pollard’s arrest.

“Particularly at this time – when my husband is about to enter year 29 in prison – your words, Mr. President, were like a knife in my heart,” she wrote.

“How can you dismiss Jonathan as if he does not exist? How can I tell this to Jonathan without devastating him? It would destroy what little is left of his health and morale to hear.”

Esther Pollard told Peres that American officials had told her that if he made a serious and unequivocal request for her husband’s release, Obama would respond favorably. She said that she saw his statements on Thursday and her husband’s continued incarceration as proof that Peres had not made a serious request.

Israeli President PeresDid he, or didn't he?

“Should I tell Jonathan you have now confirmed what we have feared all along – that there never was a serious, compelling request for Jonathan’s release?”she asked. “That the issue really isn’t a priority for you? That you seem to have made it clear that as far as you are concerned, Jonathan is as good as dead, God forbid?”

She urged Peres to “invest your full stature in a just and humane compelling appeal” to Obama to release her husband.

“I am not asking you, Mr. President, for fancy declarations or public pronouncements,” she wrote. “The only thing that will prove to us that you have done what you need to do is Jonathan being here.”

National Council of Young Israel executive vice president emeritus Rabbi Pesach Lerner, who spearheads efforts for Pollard’s release in the US, noted that the Americans had no evidence against the agent when they arrested him, and only obtained evidence when then-prime minister Peres ordered the return of all US documents that Pollard had passed to Israel – with his fingerprints still on them.

“Israel has the dubious honor of being the first and only country in the world to cooperate in the indictment and prosecution of its own agent,” Lerner said. “It would go a long way toward making amends if Peres would do whatever is necessary to bring Jonathan home now, alive.”

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
I think we need to ask ourselves these questions, questions which I have broached many a time:

"Does Shimon Peres really want Jonathan Pollard released?"

How does Jonathan Pollard sit in prison for a "crime," when most everyone else in the U. S., having committed the same "crime" is released after five years?

And, my new "favorite" question, "How does Shimon Peres manage to return all US documents that Pollard had passed to Israel – with his fingerprints still on them?" Were his fingerprints actually in tact? Did it matter?

Does Jonathan Pollard know something(s) which others do not want him to reveal?

Following the vote on the sixth out of nine resolutions adopted against Israel by the United Nations on Thursday, the interpreter translating the vote to English, unaware her microphone was still on, was caught calling the repeated resolutions about Israel excessive.

The interpreter's comments can be heard beginning at time marker 1:58.

"I mean, I think when you have five statements, not five, like a total of ten resolutions on Israel and Palestine, there's gotta be something, c'est un peu trop, non? [It's a bit much, no?] I mean I know. ... There's other really bad sh*t happening, but no one says anything, about the other stuff," the translator was heard saying, followed by uncomfortable, awkward laughter in the room.

The meeting's secretary was quick to speak into the microphone, saying, "I understand there was a problem with interpretation?"

The interpreter then apologized for her remark.

The comment came following the vote on a resolution that "demands that Israel accept the de jure applicability of the [Geneva] Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, including East Jerusalem, and other Arab territories occupied by Israel since 1967, and that it comply scrupulously with the provisions of the Convention," which passed with 160 in favour, six against and five abstentions in the U.N. General Assembly's Fourth Committee.

A further three resolutions regarding Israel were passed later that day, all with similar vote counts.

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
This whole "parasha" begs the following questions, among others:

1. How long will it take for this interpreter to be fired?
2. Will the UN simply smack her on the hand (very hard), in order to avoid any potential negatively publicity?
3. Will she be snagged by some publisher or journalist, who gets her to spill the beans, for some more of her own publicity?

Well, apparently, whatever happens to her, she will land on her feet. According to JPost.com, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has offered her a job.

Caroline Kennedy was sworn in on Tuesday to be the U.S. envoy to Tokyo. Kennedy is one of the highest profile (if not the highest profile) members of the U.S. diplomatic corps, and her new role was marked in a fashion one might expect. Secretary of State John Kerry administered the oath at a private ceremony at the State Department headquarters, followed by a reception at the Japanese ambassador’s residence at which Kerry — and plenty of other dignitaries interested as much in the swank company as the fine sushi sure to be served — was slated to attend.

The event comes 10 days before before the 50th anniversary of the assassination of her father, President John F. Kennedy, an anniversary that has prompted much reminiscence lately of all things Kennedy.
She’s expected to take up her post by the end of the month.

Caroline Kennedy's Wikipedia Page:
United States Ambassador to Japan nomination
On July 24, 2013, President Barack Obama announced Kennedy as his nominee to be Ambassador to Japan, to succeed Ambassador John Roos. The prospective nomination was first reported in February 2013 and, in mid-July 2013, formal diplomatic agreement was reportedly received from the Japanese government.

On September 19, 2013, Kennedy sat before the the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and responded to questions from both Republican and Democratic senators in relation to her potential appointment as the US ambassador to Japan. Kennedy explained that her focus would be military ties, trade, and student exchange if she was selected for the position.

On October 16, 2013, the U.S. Senate confirmed Kennedy by unanimous consent as the next Ambassador to Japan. She is the first female American ambassador to Japan. On November 12, 2013, she was sworn in by Secretary of State John Kerry. Kennedy arrived in Japan on November 15, 2013.

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Unlike most, I am not writing this to point anything related to political reward for being an early Obama supporter, or anything at all related to the legends of "Kennedy Royalty."

Rather, I am writing this in order to ask one, and only one, question:

Why on earth would Caroline Kennedy, or anyone else for that matter, want to spend even three days in radioactively contaminated Japan, let alone three years?

No, the following video is not alarmist or conspiratorial, albeit a compilation of various sources. I highly recommend that you take the 10:21 minutes to watch it.

(Video Tip: Ya'akov The Meteorologist)

Ambassador Kennedy "explained that her focus would be military ties, trade, and student exchange."Military ties makes sense I guess, albeit chiché. Student exchange also makes sense. Let's glean radioactive Japan for its best and brightest, who would be happy to take any deal to get out of Tokyo, and into a prestigious American, academic program or position.

A little while back a lawsuit was filed with the Supreme Court to disallow funding of political parties that do not include women in the party list.

I do not know what happened with that suit - I have not yet heard that it has been discussed or decided upon, so I assume it is still an open case.

Some lawmakers have decided not to wait for the Supreme Court decision, and are taking the same idea via a different route - legislation in the Knesset.

According to Ladaat, MK Yifat Kariv(Yesh Atid) proposed a law, that passed yesterday in its initial reading in the Knesset, that would deduct funding by 15% from any party that does not include women, one woman out of every three candidates, on its list. MK Hanin Zoabi(Balad) also proposed a similar law, deducting 30%.

MK Kariv explained that women are 51% of the population, but do not reach those proportions of representation in the elected bodies in local leadership. (cont.)Esser Agaroth (2¢):
So is democracy truly a place in which people have freedom of choice? Or freedom of choice only within the limits of whoever is truly in control.

The K'nesseth(The Israeli Parliament)

I am not saying whether women should serve in the K'nesseth or not. I am simply saying that in a true democracy, aren't the people supposed to be in charge? Then why not let the people decide whether this policy should be implemented, without wasting a lot of time and money, both now and in future court cases.

If the people decide not to vote for parties which choose not to include women on their lists of candidates, then these parties will eventually die out.

On the other hand, if these parties do stay viable, and even increase their numbers over time, like United Torah Judaism has, then maybe, just maybe, these parties have a constituency which supports their policies, and even their way of life. Not maybe,...definitely.

Remember when the U. S. and the West insisted on democratic elections with in the Palestinian Authority? When Hamas was victorious, the U. S. felt that its plan had backfired. But, in actuality, its plan was successful. In democratic terms, the Pseudostinians got just what they voted for, Hamas. And the U. S. is still scratching its proverbial head over that one.

Does MK Yifat Kariv and countless other assimilated MK's, with or with out a head covering, really want democracy? It appears to me that what they really want Western, progressive values and sensibilities imposed on a society, because they "know better." Even though that society is not in full agreement with them.

L: Peres's "This is the church, this is the steeple" handsR: Scottish Rite Compass

L: Peres's "This is the church, this is the steeple" handsR: The pyramid with all-seeing eye

Which is it, the compass, the pyramid, or just a coincidence? Is Jesuit educated, Vatican-loving Peres even a Free Mason, as some report?

The Israeli Supreme Court Building
Although I can immediately see only two Mason symbols, the two pyramids,
the Israeli Supreme Court building is notoriously filled them, both inside and out.

I am not sure that it even matters. Personally, I have always seen Peres as much higher up on the food chain than any other Israeli, in the public eye, that is.

It doesn't matter if he is (the anything but "symbolic" Israeli) president, or prime minister, or whatever he takes on in the future. He is the one pulling the strings,...whether Members of K'nesseth and Supreme Court Justices know it or not.

Thursday, November 14, 2013

Life In Israel posted this video of choir practice at The Great Synagogue in Jerusalem.

I have lived in Israel for 16 years, six of those in Jerusalem. I have never set foot in Jerusalem's Great Synagogue, nor do I have any intention of doing so.

Hmm... Sounds a heck of a lot like church to me. The Viennese influence, I would imagine. Yet, I have nothing against these choir men, who are obviously very talented.

Check out the stained glass at the end. That pretty much sums it up,...but not entirely.

L: The Great Synagogue, Jerusalem (Photo: Ariel Horowitz) R: Rendering of the Second Temple

Sure, it is far from a perfect match. But, I believe it was built to remind us of the Beth HaMiqdash (Temple), and hopefully to pine for it. But, now that we had the Temple Mount, gave it up, gained access to it, but not really, the so-called "Great Synagogue" stands there on King George Street (Could we please that street's name already?), as if is to usurp the position and role of the Beth HaMiqdash (God forbid!).

Why do rich people throw money at this place of gaudy gloriousness, to hold a wedding there, or to have some huge, gaivadik (prideful) plaque with their names on it, when they could be putting some of that money toward education or legal aid funds for those Jews actually ascending and asserting their rights to pray there?

Let your legacy be in your deeds, not in your name engraved plaques. Let us start building the Beth HaMiqdash today. Let us bring the Qorban Pesah next spring, which does not even require its completion.

OK. So, let's a closer look at the situation, and see if we can't just figure out what's really going on.

The Iranian threat to Israel(Click to enlarge)

I have absolutely no doubt that the Iranian government/Iranian religious leadership would like to see Israel wiped off of the face of the earth, and that have . (God Forbid!) ...or that they want nuclear weapons, etc.

I also have no doubt that Iran is not the easiest nor safest place to live.

Iran is not the only threat to Israel. Hopefully, you already know about the "other" missiles, rockets, and what have you already being shot at us from Hamas in the south, and from Hezbollah in the north. Plus, the rule of thumb, learned from Israel's history of wars to stay alive is that when missiles and rockets are not being fired at us, the "cease fire" is being used to make more.

There are also missiles pointed at us from Syria, not to mention talk of chemical weapons, which may be real or not. The same chemical weapons, real or not, may actually have been smuggled in from Iraq in 2002-2003. The Syrian government is now under fire from various factions of its own constituents, including the stateless Kurds, who are simultaneously being knocked around by Turkey, Iraq, and Iran, in addition to Syria. And, of course, the Syrian government has already tried to blame Israel for its sorrows. Go figure...

Syria is definitely ripe for "external intervention," as "they" like to call invasions these days. But, who will do the invading? U. S. troops (ie. world police)? Russian troops providing assistance? NATO or UN "peace keepers?"

The Israeli government won't mind, if the West does its dirty work. It would save a helluva lot of time, energy, and money, no to mention the psychological trauma of a full-out civil war.

Iran is dangerous to Israel, as are Hamas, Hezbollah, and delusional Syria leaders. Plus, which Muslim country will be next to fall under the control of militant Islamists? Turkey? Jordan? Who's to say that Egypt won't give it another shot?

But, the sneaky liars in the West are just as dangerous. Everyone wants Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, and one way or another, everyone is going to try and get it (Zech. 12-14). The Erev Rav is already finding ways to sell it off, or even give it away.

Tuesday, November 12, 2013

YNET: Kosher permit lost for 'missionary activity'
Jerusalem Rabbinate revokes kashrut of local café, claiming visitors encouraged to convert to Christianity. Manager says although restaurant owned by Evangelical Christian businessman, no missionary activity taking place there

Moshe Heller, November 10, 2013

The Jerusalem Rabbinate has informed a café in the city center that its kashrut certificate is being revoked following a complaint about activities preaching Christianity.

According to the Rabbinate, the Forte café stands to lose its kosher permit due to "a serious incident of preaching and attempting to hand the New Testament to the kashrut supervisor."

The Rabbinate's decision follows a complaint from the Yad L'Achim organization, which fights missionary activity in the State of Israel. According to the organization members, the café hosted activities preaching Christianity and visitors were served with Christian propaganda material in a bid to persuade them to convert. (cont.)

However, we cannot get complacent. Israeli, secular courts have been invading the Rabbanuth's territory for years, chipping away at the boundaries between the two further and further, even ordering the Rabbanuth to certify establishments kosher, even after its investigations and subsequent conclusions that they are not.

Let us not forget the "messianic"-owned bakery in Ashdod. Whatever did happen to its status??

The not so new buzz phrase "freedom of religious expression" is the key here. This is also why the Left is only lukewarm, if that, against Western Christians' shenanigans in Israel.

The left has been successfully convinced that once Christians and messianic pseudo-Jews have their secular, Israeli "rights" eroded, then they're next. I say secular, Israeli rights, because under the Torah, these anti-Jewish groups have absolutely no rights.

The letter from the head of the kashrus department in the Jerusalem Religious Council notifying Yad L'Achim that the kashrus certification is being removed from Café Forte

Evangelical Christian owned Café Forte

Café Forte, located in the Clal Building on 97Jaffa Road, Jerusalem, doesn't bill itself as a missionary center, but, according to Yad L'Achim, that's exactly what it is.

The café belongs to a large missionary cult of the "Messianic Jews" that is active in the heart of Jerusalem, Yad L'Achim charges, adding that it had obtained an internal missionary notice announcing that "Café Forte has opened its gates." The same notice made it clear that the goal was to acquaint Jewish students with "that man" and encourage them to go in his ways, R"l (cont.).

Esser Agaroth (2¢):
Well, no surprises here. Three months ago, I wrote about the Klal Building turning into the Jerusalem Christian Center. On the same floor as this Café is an auditorium, used as a church,...excuse me, "worship center" (Saturday nights), and youth activity center (Thursdays), and "messianic" art school.

As I said, we cannot become complacent, and continue to fight against avodah zarah,...a positive misswah, incidentally.

It ain't over until the fat Christian lady sings. Actually, it's only over when she stops singing, and finally runs away.